Another day, another watch review. On a roll here. This time is a sterile dial Parnis Flieger or Pilot’s watch. A pilots watch is designed for easy visibility at a glance and share common features. I wanted the cleanest possible design, in this case, a sterile dial with no brand marks or even a country of manufacture.
The dial is a deep matte black with printed markings. The 12 o’clock is a trigangle with two dots. There is no separate chapter ring, but there are larger rectangles at the hours, with smaller at every minute. The hands are clean batons, with plenty of lume, the seconds hand is a simple stick. All the markings on the dial are luminous material, and it works quite well. There is no date.
The crystal is flat sapphire, there does not appear to be anti-reflective coating, but I have not had much problems with glare. The bezel is polished stainless steel, as is the top and back of the watch case. The case sides are brushed well. The overall size of the case is 42mm and wears on a small wrist. The lugs are 22mm and even the space between is polished, which I appreciate, since this watch lives on a leather strap, as do almost all flieger watches. Nice to see polished steel instead of poorly finsished steel. The crown is large and easy to grasp. The movement winds smoothly.
Speaking of the movement, I went with a Seagull ST16 movement instead of a Miyota. I usually stick it Miyota, but I wanted to try out a Seagull. There is very little seconds hand stutter. The movement hand winds and hacks and beats along at 21,600 BPH. Power reserve is quoted at 30hours, but I am seeing closer to 40 hours. The movement is visible throught the glass case back and is decently finished. The case back is screw down and is also polished. Markings are minimal, Sapphire Crystal, Water Resistance (30M), Stainless Steel.
Finally, the watch came on a thick genuine leather band. The buckle is brushed and unmarked. Simple, but works well with the overall look of the watch.
I am very happy with this watch, it was not a huge outlay and I love how easy it is to read a glance. If you want a great watch for less than $70, this one may fit your bill.
Case: 42mm diameter, stainless steel, 30M water resistance.
Back: Stainless Steel, Screw Down
Crystal: Sapphire, Flat
Movement: Automatic, Seagull ST16, 21,600 BPH, can hand wind and hack
Complications: None
Other: Luminous Hands and Markers
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